Flat Water Fun

A while back, my friend Ed from across the lake, called me to let me know he'd bought himself a new boat--at least to him. The boat is a Perception Pirouette, a previous generation whitewater boat. I had to laugh, because of all the boats out there, he got the exact boat I got for my first kayak. I still have the Pirouette, though I pretty much keep it around for guests to play around in here at the lake. I love it though, it's the boat I learned to roll in. Ed's boat is in really good shape and will make the perfect downriver kayak for him. I'm looking forward to some river time. While Ed is a pretty accomplished open boater (he has both a tandem and solo canoe), butt-boating is a bit new to him, so we spent a day on the lake.

We left from my dock and headed south against the wind to a the mouth of a Grata Creek. Grata Creek is typical for streams in Kitsap county--it's dry for the majority of the summer and little more than a trickle for the rest of the year. However, we've had quite a bit of rain the week before, so there was actually a nice little current running out into the lake. A couple of gravel bars created nice little eddies, allowing us to practice our eddy turns. It doesn't happen often, so we got a little treat. I also managed to practice a few pivot turns in my Perception 3D.

After a while, we headed up into the conservancy at the South end of the lake, navigating between old stumps and the beaver hut. The shallow draft of the kayaks make them quite possibly the best craft for poking around in the bog. After circumnavigating the little island, we paddled over to check out the dam. With all the rain, we kept a safe distance from the lip to avoid going over. I wish I had the cajones to go for it, but I'm really in to self-preservation, so I'll leave it to someone else.

We continued our trip around the lake and up another short inlet that I've seen, but have never been up before. This is Ed's secret spot and once again, the short little boats made for easy work in the tight little creek. From there it was back to the house to warm up over coffee, nachos and a paddling video.

Ed's planning on taking a roll class soon, and we're also talking about a whitewater course, so hopefully we'll see some rapids this year. In the meantime, I'm still focused on surfing and getting the sea kayak done, so I can take a couple weekend kayak camping trips this summer.

Currently listening to - Jack Johnson (Thicker than Water)

Currently reading - The Historian